VANCOUVER (Sept 23, 2011) – Arcana Comics is back again with another month of exciting releases, a behind the scenes look at Devil’s Island, and Mighty Mighty Monsters. All Pre-Orders are Diamond and we’re in the final days of ordering from the September Previews, so if there are any books that look like your brand of entertainment, be sure to ask your local stores to carry them. If you are a store, of course, order copies of all of them to expose your readers to the best in indie comics!

If you weren’t aware, Arcana Comics has its own iPad / iPhone App, too! It’s a free download in the iStore and gives you access to the Arcana catalog and exclusive downloads! There are plenty of free books to download as well as new releases added all the time. If you don’t have an iPad or iPhone, don’t worry, there are also Arcana books available through the ComiXology app for Android. DOWNLOAD THE APP FROM THE ISTORE HERE.

Below are books being solicited for pre-order in the latest Diamond Previews Magazine. Take the information below to your stores and ask them to carry Arcana!

CREEPSVILLE GN – SEP110743(W) Chris “Doc” Wyatt (W/A) Bill Rude From the producers of Napoleon Dynamite and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart! A group of high school outcasts, each alienated for a different reason, are thrown together as the staff of the school paper. But these kids just happen to live in Creepsville: a small retro-American town where monsters, humans, aliens, superheroes, robots, and mad scientists all live and work together. SC, 80pgs, FC $14.95

DADDYS LITTLE GIRL GN – SEP110744
(W) Mark Poulton (A) Stephen Sistilli Daddy’s Little Girl tells the story of rich party girl, Bryn Tilton, who suddently finds out the father she never knew just passed away. She travels to Atlantic City to learn more about this man, only to discover a dark secret and a new profession… Atlantic City is infested with monsters and she’s inherited her father’s old job at the city’s monster morgue. It’s like C.S.I. meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. SC, 80pgs, FC $14.95

DEVIL’S ISLAND – SEP110745
(W) Nikola Jajic (A) Josef Cage A historical fiction thriller, Devil’s Island follows the trials and tribulations of a few fictitious prisoners, who are used as hunters by the prison guards. Their job is to re-capture prisoners who attempt to escape the jungle island, bringing them back at any cost… dead or alive! SC, 148pgs, FC $19.95

MY BEST FRIENDS A BOOGER GN – SEP110746 – KIDS
(W/A) Tyler Kirkham (W) Rian Kirkham Who would have ever thought you could have a booger as your best friend? Well, if your imagination is anything like Skyler Grayson’s, the possibilities are endless! At a time when Skyler is feeling really down and all alone, he finds his greatest friend in — you guessed it — a sneeze! SC, 34pgs, FC $6.95

SCROOGE & SANTA GN – SEP110747
(W) Matthew Wilson (A) Josh Kenfield (CA) Dan Smith (W) Matthew Wilson (A) Josh Kenfield On Christmas Eve, a modern day Scrooge is on the run after the FBI learns he kidnapped Santa Claus. His assistant, Bonnie Cratchit, agrees to help him escape, but only if he first helps Santa Claus get back to the North Pole. Now Scrooge, with some help from the Ghosts of Past, Present, and Future, must go on an adventure to bring Santa home in time to save Christmas! RES. from Previews Vol. XX #10 (OCT100763) SC, 110pgs, FC $14.95

SHADOWLAW GN – SEP110748
(W) Brandon M. Easton (A) Scott Kester, Ryo Kawakami In a future world of giant mechanized warriors, a rebellious soldier is sentenced to life in a distant prison colony. Once there, he finds himself the only man who can stop an advanced race of Vampire lords from taking over the world after they break their restricted feeding treaty with the human race. As he battles on, he must also cope with the growing realization that his very presence in the colony may be a part of their dark designs… SC, 80pgs, FC $14.95

DEVIL’S ISLAND

One of our releases this month is Nik Jajic’s Devil’s Island, which was very well received at San Diego Comic Con this year, where it made its debut. It’s no surprise given the reception to Nik’s first book with Arcana, Loosely Based (read more about that book HERE). We sat Nik down for a few to ask him a few questions and here’s what he had to say.

About the book itself and the original idea, Nik says, “the seed was first planted as I watched an old documentary about the prison colony. In it, they quickly glossed over the fact that the guards would sometimes use prisoners to go into the jungle and re-capture escapees. I was looking to do something different, and those couple of minutes in an otherwise forgettable doc set the ball in motion, so to speak.”

The prison in the book “was the most infamous prison colony in recent history. Add in an exotic and at time horrifying jungle backdrop, and I couldn’t see setting this story anywhere else.” Of the history, which roots the story, Nik explains, “Napoleon III and 19th century France play a central role to the story for the simple fact that all of the characters are from this time period. Plus, their backstories in the book reflect on what led to their eventual imprisonment, and touch mildly on the socio-political elements of this period in time. Plus, I really liked the idea of doing a book that had an old west feel to it, but was international as well.”

The book follows “Pierre, Jean, Rat, and Henri, [who] have been chosen by the prison’s Commandant to work as hunters (prisoners who are used by the guards to re-capture escapees). They bond through their experiences and shared histories. Ultimately, they have to make some touch decisions.”

If this book sounds intriguing, you should definitely pre-order a copy now! Besides Devil’s Island, Nik also has Loosely Based, which was reelased last year through Arcana Comics. “It’s sort of Misery meets Stranger Than Fiction… If that analogy makes any sense.” He also wrote The Big Bad Book for Alterna Comics, which is “a dirty comedy… sort of Office Space meets the OLD Clash of the Titans.”

Nik himself has been “writing for about the last seven years in different capacities. A bit of journalism, prose, screenwriting, and comics.” He’s an avid reader, comic fan, and lover of film. “At the end of the day,” he says, “I’m inspired by a lot of what I read and see. I guess I’m just using that inspiration to try and find my own voice. Comics feel like a good fit at the moment, due to the fact that it combines the best elements of prose and screenwriting, yet is a completely original and amazing medium in its own right.

MIGHTY MIGHTY MONSTERS

If you didn’t know, Arcana Studios also partners with other publishers to release books. One popular example of this is Sean Patrick O’Reilly’s Mighty Mighty Monsters, a set of children’s books, which follow the exploits of young creatures who, later in life, will become the monsters we all know as Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman, and others. These are published through Stone Arch Books.

Here’s a synopsis of the series of books (there are twelve of them right now):

In a strange corner of the world is the haunted country of Transylmania, the birthplace of heroes and legendary creatures, such as Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolfman. That’s where you will find a team of young friends, who are learning to face danger and adventure with bravery and friendship. But before these young creatures take on their more famous names, they are first known as… the Mighty Mighty Monsters.

Arcana Studios, Inc. is a transmedia company that has aggressively pursued establishing brands through engaging storytelling and compelling art. With a strong foothold in the print publishing world, Arcana continues to be a premier content provider. Arcana owns one of the world’s largest libraries of graphic novels and comics, and has adapted this library into live action feature films, stereoscopic 3D animated features, episodic television series and toys.

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